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Somnus Lucis Caelum
Somnus Lucis Caelum, known more prominently as the Founder King and the Mystic, is the first king of Lucis, the younger brother of Ardyn Lucis Caelum and the one who recognized the threat his brother posed and defeated and imprisoned him, therefore being the one who saved Eos from Starscourge the first time. Although there are doubts on his heroism from his condemnation of Ardyn, it is nevertheless unquestionable that all of Somnus's acts are for the greater good of Eos and it was thanks to him that there is even the Kingdom of Lucis and Eos as it is now, therefore making him a hero nevertheless. Appearance As a human, Somnus resembled Noctis with his black hair and facial shape. He dressed in a long blue robe with buttons down the front, black sandals, a black cape, a guard on his left forearm and shoulder and a blue silk shawl around his hips attached to a strap that crossed his chest. As a Lucii the Mystic has holes on his winged helmet and the back of his suit of armor has something similar to a bony tail. Personality As a human, Somnus was a complicated person. He is described as being a realist and severe leader who despite all his perceived cruelty, actually just wanted to protect the world of Eos no matter what the cost. Although he ruthlessly burns all the corpses of the ones infected by Starscourge, even ones who just showed the slightest of the signs, Somnus did all that with the greater good of the planet in his mind and didn't express any joy in doing so. One of the few things that was right about him that was written in the Cosmology was that he was indeed brave, as he shows absolutely no fear in fighting Daemons. Although willing to use his royal position to forgo some manners, as he quickly barged through the door to ask Aera, he has been seen to respect his followers and those of high status, respectfully and politely referring to Area when asking of the decision of the Gods and willing to let it be when she refused to tell him and calling Ardyn by the usual formal term of respect towards older siblings. Although initially close to his older brother, who he once looked up to, Somnus's ruthless methods have diverged them. Although Somnus admitted to having been envious of Ardyn's popularity, the main driving force of their disapproval was that just as Ardyn disapproved of Somnus's methods, Somnus found Ardyn's methods to be too idealistic, short-sighted and harmful, but he didn't have any desire to kill his brother, as shown by how he ordered his soldiers to simply bring him back and lamented how Ardyn could have just enjoyed a peaceful life with his fiancée while leaving the job of stopping the Scourge to him. Only after he learned from Aera that Ardyn had became corrupted by the Starscourge and the Gods had thus chosen him did he turn against his brother. Although taking up the façade of a man ambitious enough to kill even his own brother when doing so, expressing no hesitation in fighting his older brother, even smirking before beginning to fight, Somnus showed certain lapses in his battle with Ardyn, as he was genuinely shocked by Aera's death and gave her time to spend her last moments with Ardyn. Although he called her foolish without much reaction, the fact he looked down showed he still felt some remorse for it and even if still in a calm tone after Aera's death apologized to Ardyn for her death and stated it is nothing personal and he was just fulfilling his duties as a king, referring indirectly to his knowledge of Ardyn's illness. When Ardyn became a monster, Somnus genuinely lamented he didn't kill his brother before Ardyn could become the monster he made him out to be, indicating he saw the deed as a mercy-kill due to believing Ardyn would have sacrificed himself for the Scourge's destruction. After all is said and done, rather than reveling in his victory, Somnus allows the facade he had been keeping to fall apart as he looks over his brother's and Aera's dead body with a solemn and remorseful expression and beholds the rising sun with hope for a better future by his sacrifice. Although many have came to condemn Ardyn due to Somnus, Somnus himself has been stated to hold no actual resentment for his brother and he just chose all of Eos over his brother. Over time, Somnus came to feel remorse and regret for what he did to his brother and prayed for his soul to find repose and appeared to have realized what he did was not only for the greater good but also due to the inherent jealousy inside him. However, in the end, as the directors of Episode Ardyn noted, Somnus was ultimately a righteous man and what he did to his brother wasn't out of envy but for the sake of the people and he had cause to forever carry the feelings of regret to his death. His good side ultimately became great enough to earn him nothing but utter respect from the legends, making him the foremost and heroic archtype of the Cosmology. His loyalty to the greater good of Eos made him more than willing to allow his spirit to enter the Ring of the Lucii where he became the leader of the rulers of yore to come in order to continue watch over the world, doing so tirelessly and devotedly, and he didn't seem to complain over being unable to go to the afterlife unlike his brother, although it should be noted that by all senses Ardyn had became greatly twisted and this wasn't such a great achievement, but seemed content in finally being able to rest after eons of serving the Astrals, not arguing and accepting the fate of finally passing on when the time came for the Providence to be unleashed and the Lucii to be released from their servitude to the Crystal. As the Mystic, Somnus retains his strictness with those who desire the Crystal's power without being a royal but he is shown to be considerably more reasonable than he was as a human, proof of his maturity and development, as while he ruthlessly rejects and nearly kills Ravus despite the Oracle's close relationship with the Lucian Caelum, he is willing to consider the opinion of the recently arrived Regis when dealing with Nyx Ulric and although he is angered by Nyx's taunts, he is quickly impressed by Nyx's selflessness and determination to protect the future and agrees to lend him the power of kings, even if at the cost of his life. He later did the same to Ignis, in fact giving him even more favor by allowing him to live and only taking his eyesight, as he is impressed by the lengths Ignis is willing to go to protect a member of the Lucian Royals. Although Insomnia was the very capital of the kingdom he fought so hard to keep safe and rule well, the Mystic seemed to be apathetic to it's fall, showing due to his wisdom he saw Insomnia not as the center of all the armies of Lucis had fought so hard to keep safe but rather merely the same as any other city and understood that just because Insomnia fell, it didn't mean Lucis had been destroyed, and coldly told off Nyx for believing such and bluntly refused to activate the Old Wall. He is willing to praise the performance of Noctis and his party after being defeated by him and urges Noctis to fulfill his calling. Even after all that Ardyn had did, the Mystic continued to lack any resentment for his brother, having seen for himself the tragedy that made his brother the Accursed Immortal that most fear and hate, and therefore even able to sympathize with him as in addition to asking Noctis to restore the light, he also asks Noctis to free his brother from his curse. When facing him in combat, despite the destruction he had brought upon Lucis, the Mystic referred to Ardyn as 兄上, just as he always did, and showed utter shock and lament of how much his brother had changed, not only no longer caring for the suffering of the people but even having gained the dark powers as he had, at first sadly acknowledging he truly had became a monster and he was right to have sealed him away because of his inability to understand what Somnus did was genuinely for the future and although he did feel jealous of Ardyn's popularity, the true reason behind his prosecution of Ardyn was because he thought his rule would only bring ruin, before finally realizing he should have searched for a way to save him and after being defeated, he mournfully acknowledged what he did was unforgivable and know better than to ask for Ardyn's forgiveness but still asked for him to understand what he did and prayed for Ardyn's soul to find repose. In Dawn of the Future, Somnus would support Ardyn's method of finding salvation by defying the Gods. Relationships *'Somnus and Ardyn': Somnus was once close to Ardyn, with his older brother having raised him as they grew up and having played chess together many times. However, as they became too different, Somnus ultimately became estranged from Ardyn and they both chose different ways to save the world. Although Ardyn abhorred and resented Somnus's burning of those infected, a sentiment that Somnus returned but not to the level of wanting his brother dead, simply forced to return to the castle, and he only stood up against him when he learned of Ardyn having became corrupted and although acting ruthless, he still showed remorse and guilt for his actions and genuinely lamented Ardyn's change. This regret would only grow as Somnus never resented his brother but he kept it at bay with his beliefs that it was necessary. When finally facing Ardyn, Somnus is left mortified by how dark his brother had became as he first acknowledged sadly how truly monstrous Ardyn became but he was eventually snapped out of his self-righteous beliefs that he was doing the right thing, as he finally realized that although he truly meant well, his method was flawed. He could have tried to save Ardyn but did not and that has caused him to become the monster he is. Somnus himself acknowledged what he did could not be forgiven and instead tried to make Ardyn understand the neccessity of his tragedy and was left distraught when Ardyn coldly refuted this. He prayed for Ardyn to find repose and later on actually pleaded for Noctis to save him. *'Somnus and Aera': Although not much is known of Somnus's relationship with Aera, it appears that Somnus respects her as Ardyn's fiancée and the Oracle, as he politely asked her on the decision of the Gods and remained calm when questioning her reluctance to tell him, apparently being willing to leave it at be. Although Aera told Somnus that Ardyn had became corrupted and Somnus had thus been chosen by the Gods, it appears that Aera had asked Somnus to save Ardyn but Somnus had no ways of doing so and therefore chose to execute his brother instead. However, he was genuinely shocked when Aera died and lamented it before quickly recovering, calling her foolish with some regret. Powers and Abilities As the progenitor of the Lucis Caelum bloodline, Somnus naturally wielded the "power of kings" available to his bloodline, making him capable of warping and manifesting and wielding "weapons of light". He uniquely had two specific abilities, one being a special form of Armiger that the Founder King's Sigil could grant to Noctis in the form of Armiger Unleashed and the other being the ability to create a powerful gravitational force that draws enemies close, while limiting their abilities. As he has passed the trials of the Astrals, he should be capable of summoning them. An accomplished swordsman and able to throw his spear accurately, Somnus held his own against the now Starscourge strengthened Ardyn, although to defeat him required him to use his spear to warp-strike. The combination of both his skills in combat and magic allowed him to perform such mesmerizing feats in battle that he became known as the Mystic for his astonishing battle performance. He was also a charismatic and proficient leader, leading the soldiers of his kingdom effectively in defeating many Daemonic infestions, with his efficiency being enough that the majority of the people supported him despite the ruthlessness of his actions. Due to being the Founder King, he is the leader of the Rulers of Yore after becoming a Lucii and the most powerful out of them all, described as holding power on an entirely different level than the Fierce and Rogue when controlled by Ardyn and being the most powerful out of the guardians activated by Regis to fight his brother. He is thus the one who decides to grant the power of the Ring to those not of royal blood or reject them. When tainted by the Starscourge, he controls the element of darkness to a notable extent, ejecting daemonic energy from his sword and creating a tornado that sucks in and damages all in close proximity, and even uses light to power his sword to slash through the fabric of reality itself. As a pure Old Wall statue, the Mystic wields the element of light to a powerful level, able to emit a mist of light, rain down weapons of light and empower his weapons with light to unleash an omni-directional slash of light, and raise pillars of light. History Somnus Lucis Caelum was born as one of the two potential inheritors of the throne. He and his brother got along well in their childhood and used to play chess together but over time as Somnus grew up and became the general of the armies and led the massacre of Daemons to save Eos, their relationship became strained. Bestowed with a pair of longswords along with Ardyn by their parents, Somnus did not had any objections to ruling alongside Ardyn but Ardyn's continued attempts to solve the situation earned Somnus's ire, as he believed Ardyn is essentially choosing who lives and who dies as people perish in the other parts of the realm while he is away healing "that one more person." Although Somnus admitted that he had felt envy towards Ardyn, overall the main driving force of his disapprovals with Ardyn was he truly believed that Ardyn was touched with the plight of the "unchosen" and his refusal to see the reality of their situation renders him unfit to be king but at that point he still did not dedicate himself to making him a criminal, ordering his soldiers to return him safely to be confined so he can live peacefully. Somnus asked the Oracle Area Nox Fleuret on the decision of the Gods and although willing to let it be when she refused to tell him, she ultimately revealed that the Gods had chosen him over Ardyn as Ardyn's healing of the infected had corrupted him. Knowing his brother was too dangerous, Somnus resolved to strike down his brother and called upon his brother by feigning he was the one chosen. Somnus then revealed to the entire populace what he had learned from Area and he commanded the shocked Area to be protected by Gilgamesh before dueling Ardyn. Although caught off-guard at first by the strength of Ardyn now powered by the Scourge, Somnus was able to use his superior combat experience and prowess to ultimately defeat Ardyn after being briefly pushed back and having his sword broken, warp-striking to Ardyn immediately after he caught the spear and stabbing him. Just as he proceeded to kill his brother, Area died taking the blow, which was not what Somnus had expected. Somnus allowed her and Ardyn to spend their last moments in silence before calling Aera foolish and asking Ardyn for his forgiveness. However, Ardyn transformed completely and Somnus lamented his brother's change and attacked him, eventually killing him. However, Ardyn had became immortal, leaving Somnus with no choice but to seal his brother away in Angelgard, and he ascended to the throne. Establishing the Kingdom of Lucis due to Solheim having fallen, earning him the title of the Founder King, Somnus was given the Ring of the Lucii and told the Prophecy of the True King and he swore he and his descendants would protect Eos until the True King could fully purge Starscourge. Somnus also was the one who started the tradition of the Royal Arms and created the Old Wall by entombing his longsword for preservation to aid the future generations, which would be mirrored by the other Kings, and also bonding his soul to the colossal statue of himself in Insomnia. After he died, Somnus's spirit resided in the Ring and he became the leader of the rulers of yore to come. When Ardyn was freed and attacked Insomnia, upon Regis being defeated by Ardyn, Somnus heared the challenge of Ardyn and responded by activating his statue and inhabiting it to fight Ardyn, expressing shock at how much his brother had changed and the destruction he had brought upon Lucis. He tried to explain to his brother the reason of his actions but over time Somnus came to realize it was actually he who turned Ardyn into a monster while trying to prevent him from corrupting the world. After being bested, Somnus, knowing his actions were unforgivable, tried to make Ardyn at least understand what he did wasn't out of the jealousy he had but for the future of their kingdom and people and after having been rejected angrily by Ardyn, mournfully prayed for his soul to find repose. In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the Mystic speaks to Nyx Ulric when the Glaive puts on the Ring of the Lucii. As Nyx is not of royal lineage, he must pay the blood price for gaining the ring's power. The Mystic coldly denounces Nyx for believing that because he wanted to save Insomnia, he would be granted the power of kings and derides him for his short-sightedness. However, he considers the opinion of the Father when Regis, the latest Lucii to join the Ring, spoke on his behalf, and at first offers for Nyx the choice between his friends Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and Libertus Ostium, but Nyx angers the Mystic by taunting them. However, the Mystic is ultimately impressed by Nyx's selflessness and determination to save the future and lack of fear of the future being doomed and agrees to allow him to use their powers but as Nyx has wanted, the Mystic makes the blood price as Nyx's life and warns him he will only have until sunrise to defeat the Niflheim forces decimating the Crown City even if the Crystal has already been stolen. Thanks to this bargain, Nyx is granted the power to fight Glauca and animate the Old Wall and succeeded in stopping the invasion and securing the ring's safety. The Mystic is the only king standing in the end of the battle, having defeated the last Diamond Weapon. The Mystic is enslaved by the Starscourge and used by Ardyn to test Noctis in the Hall of History. Following his defeat, Somnus praises the performance of the party and pleads with Noctis to fulfill his calling by restoring the light and freeing Ardyn from his state as the Accursed. During the final duel between Ardyn and Noctis, the Mystic is among the Lucii who materialize beyond the Citadel. He later plunges his Royal Arm into Noctis to start the unleashing of Providence and after entering Limbo, Somnus aids in destroying his brother once and for all. With this, Somnus is able to finally rest after years of devoted service to the Crystal and Astrals and he enters the afterlive and finds peace after centuries of dedicatedly watching over Eos. In the Dawn of Future, Somnus fights and is defeated by Noctis when corrupted by the Scourge much earlier and he then begs Noctis to undo his wrongs. When Ardyn wants to wield the Ring of the Lucii, Somnus gives his permission, wanting to redeem himself truly in the eyes of his brother. He deals the final blow on Ardyn and then together alongside him destroys Bahamut, passing on to the afterlife afterwards as Ardyn is recognized as the one who should have been the Founder King of Lucis. Trivia *Although Somnus can be perceived as the one who turned Ardyn into what he was, as revealed in Dawn of the Future, it was actually Bahamut who has been manipulating the events for Ardyn to become the incarnation of Starscourge and Somnus was merely a pawn, but in a theoretical sense, a significant one in the War God's game. He gave Ardyn the power to heal others of daemonic infestion knowing it would turn him and then told Aera the truth for Somnus to force out of her, knowing how Somnus would react. Indeed, when Bahamut reveals this nonchalantly to Ardyn, even Ardyn acknowledged that Somnus, although the one who imprisoned him, killed Aera and erased him from history, was in the end merely a pitiful pawn of Bahamut's plans. **Whether Somnus was aware of this the entire time but had no choice but to go along with Bahamut's plans or didn't knew of this at first was uncertain, but it is clear that he found out before Ardyn had attacked Lucis, as he showed awareness of Bahamut's plan to have Ardyn become the sacrificial lamb for humanity. Navigation Category:Male Category:Final Fantasy Heroes Category:Anti Hero Category:Magic Category:Saved Soul Category:Strong-Willed Category:Stalkers Category:Video Game Heroes